Wicklow Minors thumped by Meath
Wicklow dispatched by merciless Meath side
MEATH WICKLOW 3-18 1-06
THE FINAL score line tells most of the story about this first round match in the Minor Football Championship, played in brilliant sunshine in Pairc Tailteann, Navan on Saturday.
While the Wicklow team tried hard from start to finish and had, at times, some good individual performances, they were over all out classed by the home team.
Manager John Murphy and his helpers Andy Jameson, Martin Hamilton and Brian Whelan had put a lot of work into preparing this team but on the day they just did not function.
The simple stats of the match are - Meath out scored us by 1-5 to 0-1 in the first 10 minutes of the match.
In that first half they were playing with the wind so that could be used as an excuse. In the second half they did much the same against the wind, leaving Wicklow playing catch up all the way.
A fairly impressive Meath team were able to punish our every mistake to the full.
Their finishing was most impressive. In the first quarter they kicked only one wide while their wides total for the first half was three.
Wicklow on the other hand did not have the best of luck with their shooting. They hit the upright four times - the first from a Jordan Nolan close in free. We got nothing from two 45s and this is where the management decisions could come into question. The first was given to young Nolan, a light player by any standards who could not possibly have the strength to shoot from that distance into the wind. The second came late in the second half and was handed to a stone cold Martin Cullen who had only just come on the field. However they were only minor details. Meath had a point on the board in side two minutes but Wicklow hit back and after missing their first chance Patrick O'Connot cut through the defence to send over a good point. That, from a Wicklow point of view was the high point of the match.
Daire Rowe, son of a former Meath star, Cormack Rowe, was the player we were told to look out for and how accurate that advice was. He lined out with the number 11 jersey but straight away moved into full forward. He started to play havoc with our defence from the word go, scoring a goal and three points by the 10th minute.
At the other end we were making no progress against a hard tackling defence; Mickey O'Connor got in a good shot but it was brilliantly saved; We won a close in free but that one went wide off the upright.
The goalie turned another shot for goal around the post for a 45 but that too was wasted. Even the shot that brought our only other point had goal written all over it as it left Brendan Behan's boot but again the goalie got his fingers to the ball and turned it over the bar.
Meath were making every chance count and kicked over another five points to lead by 1-10 to 02 at half time.
We consoled ourselves with the thought that we would have the wind behind us in the second half. Again the home side took complete control, scoring a goal and five points in a little over 10 minutes.
Wicklow did rally in the last 10 minutes but it was too little too late. Mikey O'Connor pointed a free in the 20th minute and added another five minutes later.
Brendan Behan had another point from play before Mikey showed a touch of the real class he undoubtedly has - he broke down a ball on the full back and without even bothering to collect chipped it neatly over the head of the advancing keeper for a goal.
Patrick O'Connor, who had got our first point, got the last with a minute to go.
Things that Wicklow may have learned from their first championship.
The obvious one is that Minor football in Wicklow is not up to the general Leinster standards at present. It would be all too easy to start looking for scapegoats or apportioning blame at this stage.
It must be admitted that every player gave of his best and that is all that anyone can ask. John Murphy and his back room team of Andy Jameson, Martin Hamilton and Brian Whelan worked very hard with the team and had them in as good shape as one could expect from a team playing their first championship match.
This is not the end of the world, or even of the championship. A number of people were pointing out before this game that with the present method of playing this championship it is sometimes more beneficial to lose in the first round.
We now go into the losers group where our first match could be against Kilkenny and that could give us a second chance to get back to winning ways.
Some of the lessons we may have learned - It is not enough to have forwards that can find the target with their shots - it is equally important that every other player on the field can kick a ball accurately and find the intended target at least nine times out of 10. (We had too many foot passes going astray).
It is not enough to be able to win possession - players must be able to hold on to the ball and ride the tackle.
For anyone that doubted the wisdom of investing big money in the Ballinakill project this is surely the answer. We need better facilities.
For Joe O'Brien and his team who are saying 'go back and start to build from scratch' this was proof positive that they know what they are talking about.
The players that made up the team on Saturday gave it their best shot.
The mentors did everything the possibly could to prepare the team. Definitely the only answer appears to be the fresh start.